brock911fandomcom-20200216-history
Mohammed al Qahtani
lead | place_of_birth = Dalam, Saudi Arabia | date_of_death = | place_of_death = | detained_at = Guantanamo | id_number = 63 | group = | alias = | charge = Charged February 2008, after six years of extrajudicial detention -- was subjected to torture in 2002; charges dropped in May 2008; habeas case reinstated. | penalty = | status = Still held in Guantanamo }} Mohammed al Qahtani (also as al Kahtani) is currently detained in Camp Four of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. He allegedly intended to come to the United States to take part in the September 11, 2001 attacks as a "muscle hijacker". Mustafa al-Hawsawi, one of the organizers of the September 11 attacks, referred to al Qahtani in intercepted telephone calls as "the last one" to "complete the group". Mohammad al Qahtani was refused entry due to suspicions that he was attempting to immigrate. Since January 2002, al Qahtani has been in the Guantanamo Bay detention camps. Early life Mohammed al Qahtani was born in 1979 in Dalam, Saudi Arabia. He is a Saudi national from a large family. His father served as a police officer for 28 years. His mother remained at home to raise her thirteen children. He has eight brother and four sisters, who range in age from 42 – 14 years of age. According to family members, his favorite class in school was art. He has no criminal record and no record of any violence. Arrest and deportation by US immigration On August 3, 2001, al Qahtani flew into Orlando, Florida, from Dubai. He was questioned by officials dubious he could support himself with only $2,800 cash to his name, and suspicious that he intended to become an illegal immigrant as he was using a one-way ticket. He was sent back to Dubai, and subsequently returned to Pakistan. Second capture, transfer to Guantanamo Captured in the Battle of Tora Bora, al Qahtani was sent to the United States Navy base at Guantánamo Bay, Cub, Cuba. He continued giving a false name, and insisting he had been in the area solely pursuing an interest in falconry. Mayer, Jane, "The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned Into a War on American Ideals", 2008. p. 140 After ten months, U.S. authorities took a fingerprint sample and discovered that he was the same person who had tried to enter the United States just before the September 11th attacks. Seizing the airport surveillance tapes, the FBI claimed they were able to identify the car of Mohamed Atta at the airport, ostensibly waiting to pick up al Qahtani. He was interrogated. U.S. Said to Overstate Value of Guantánamo Detainees, New York Times, June 21, 2004 After details of his status were leaked, the issued a press release stating that Qahtani had admitted: *He had been sent to the US by Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the lead architect of the 9/11 attack; *That he had met Osama Bin Laden on several occasions; *That he had received terrorist training at two al-Qaeda camps; *That he had been in contact with many senior al-Qaeda leaders. Another military account stated that al Qahtani was identified as someone who had previously been turned away due to visa problems -— by fingerprints, "taken in Southwest Asia". mirror Shortly after September 26, 2002, a jet carrying David Addington, Alberto Gonzales, John Rizzo, William Haynes II, two Justice Department lawyers, Alice S. Fisher and Patrick F. Philbin, and the 's Jack Goldsmith flew to Camp Delta to view al Qahtani, then to Charleston, South Carolina to view Jose Padilla, and finally to Norfolk, Virginia to view Yaser Esam Hamdi. Mayer, Jane, "The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How the War on Terror Turned Into a War on American Ideals", 2008. p. 199 Documented abuses while in Guantanamo At Guantánamo, al Qahtani was subjected to a regime of aggressive interrogation techniques, known as the “First Special Interrogation Plan” that were authorized by US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and implemented under the supervision and guidance of Secretary Rumsfeld and the commander of Guantánamo, Major General Geoffrey Miller. In November 2006, senior investigators with the Defense Department's Criminal Investigation Task Force (CITF) told msnbc.com that military prosecutors said al Qahtani would be "unprosecutable" because he was tortured during interrogation. Susan Crawford, a senior Pentagon official, stated on January 14, 2009 that "his treatment met the legal definition of torture...The techniques they used were all authorized, but the manner in which they applied them was overly aggressive". As convening authority of military commissions, Crawford is responsible for overseeing Guantanamo practices. Interrogation log On March 3, 2006, Time magazine published the secret log of 49 days of 20-hour-per-day interrogation.Interrogation log, , November 23, 2002 through January 11, 2003 The log described how al Qahtani was forcibly administered intravenous fluids, and drugs, and was forcibly given enemas, in order to keep his body functioning well enough for the interrogations to go on. The log, titled SECRET ORCON INTERROGATION LOG DETAINEE 063, offers a daily, detailed view of the interrogation techniques used to obtain confession from him from November 23, 2002, to January 11, 2003. These include the following: * Restraint on a swivel chair for long periods * Deprivation of sleep for long periods * Loud music and white noise played to prevent the detainee from sleeping * Various humiliations, such as training the detainee to act as a dog and forcing him to watch puppet shows depicting sexual acts between him and Osama bin Laden at his mock birthday party * Lowering the temperature in the room, then throwing water to the detainee's face * Forcing the detainee to pray to Osama Bin Laden * Various interrogation techniques described as "pride & ego down", "circumstantial evidence", "fear-up", or "Al Qaeda falling apart" * Threats of extraordinary rendition to countries that torture * Threats made against his family, including female members * Strip searches * Body searches * Forced nudity, including in the presence of female personnel * Forced to submit to an enema * Prohibiting detainee from praying for prolonged times and during Ramadan * Threatening to desecrate the Koran in front of him * Forced to pick up trash with his hands cuffed while being called "a pig" * Placed in prolonged stress positions * Placed in tight restraints for many months or days and nights * Beatings * Exposure to low temperatures for prolonged times * Forcible administration of IVs by medical staff during interrogation, which were described by al Qahtani as "repetitive stabs" each day At no point during the interrogation log does al Qahtani explicitly admit to being a member of Al Qaeda, although his stated reasons for travelling to the United States and Afghanistan - what the US interrogators refer to as his cover story - appear inconsistent. Furthermore, the entry for January 1, 2003 relates how al Qahtani blames Osama bin Laden for deceiving the 19 9/11 hijackers ("his friends"): :2A0780 asked how one man, Bin Laden, convince [sic] 19 young men to kill themselves, (detainee was starting to fade he was going in and out of sleep.) The question was repeated, detainee stated that they were tricked, that he distorted the picture if [sic] front of them, 2A0780 asked detainee if this made him mad, detainee stated yes, (detainee did not realize that 2A780 [sic] had not started putting detainee into the picture) 2A0780 asked detainee if he was mad that his friends had been tricked, detainee said yes. 2A0780 asked detainee if his friends knew about the plan, detainee said no, 2A0780 asked if detainee knew about the plan, detainee stated that he didn't know. 2A0780 asked detainee if it made him mad that he killed his friends, detainee stated yes. 2A0780 asked detainee if he was glad that he didn’t die on the plane, detainee stated yes. 2A0780 asked detainee if his parents were happy that he didn’t die detainee stated yes. 2A0780 stated "he killed your friends" detainee stated yes. Ibid. page 72. Reviewed on 2008-02-20. When asked about his greatest sins in his life, al Qahtani responded that he had not taken care of his parents properly, had not finished school and had not been able to repay $20,000 he had borrowed from his aunt. Recantation On March 3, 2006, al Qahtani's lawyer was allowed to reveal that her client had recanted the accusations he had levelled against his fellow detainees.Exclusive: "20th Hijacker" Claims That Torture Made Him Lie, Time, March 3, 2006 He had told his lawyer that he was forced to falsely confess, and name names, in order to get his "extended interrogation" to end. He had accused 30 other detainees of being former bodyguards of Osama bin Laden. Post interrogation conditions of incarceration On September 6, 2006, President Bush announced that 14 detainees who had been held in previously secret overseas CIA interrogation centres, and subjected to interrogation techniques, like and mock executions, had been sent to Guantanamo. The Washington Post reports that the new inmates will be held in conditions similar to those imposed on al Qahtani, including isolation and 24 hours of continuous light.Guantanamo More Strict, Detainees Say: Defense Attorneys Relate Clients' 'Despair', Washington Post, September 8, 2006 : to Usama Bin Laden. :#The detainee received training in the use of small arms, grenades, small unit tactics, and specialized weapons at a terrorist training camp in Afghanistan. :#The detainee was sent to the United States by al Qaida to "serve your religion" and "do something good." :#The detainee was denied entry into the United States by INS officials on 04 August 2001. :b. The detainee participated in military operations against the United States and its coalition partners. :#The detainee was present with Usama Bin Laden at the battle of Tora Bora. :#The detainee retreated along with 29 other mujahadeen from Tora Bora to the Pakistani Border, where they were captured by Pakistani Forces in December 2001. }} Publication of captives' CSR Tribunal documents Mohammed Al Qahtani had a writ of filed on his behalf. mirror In September 2007 the Department of Justice published dossiers of unclassified documents arising from the s of 179 captives. | date=August 8, 2007 | accessdate=2007-09-29 }} The unclassified documents arising from Mohammed al Qahtani's CSR Tribunal were withheld. The US Government has not offered an explanation as to why Al Qahtani's unclassified documents have been withheld. Administrative Review Board hearings | pages= 1 | author=Spc Timothy Book | date= March 10, 2006 | accessdate=2007-10-12 }}]] Detainees who were determined to have been properly classified as "enemy combatants" were scheduled to have their dossier reviewed at annual Administrative Review Board hearings. The Administrative Review Boards weren't authorized to review whether a detainee qualified for POW status, and they weren't authorized to review whether a detainee should have been classified as an "enemy combatant". They were authorized to consider whether a detainee should continue to be detained by the United States, because they continued to pose a threat—or whether they could safely be repatriated to the custody of their home country, or whether they could be set free. First annual Administrative Review Board hearing The factors for and against his continued detention were | author=OARDEC | date=October 31, 2005 | pages=page 91–93 | accessdate=2007-10-31 }} Primary factors in favor of continued detention . :#The detainee said he completed his training approximately three months after he entered Afghanistan, and he was then compelled to swear bayat to Usama bin Laden. The detainee stated he did this in person with Usama bin Laden, without any witnesses, while at Usama bin Laden's residence in Kandahar. :#The detainee stated that sometimes in the summer of 2001, after he swore bayat to Usama bin Laden, he was approached and asked to conduct a martyr mission from Usama bin Laden. :#At the time the detainee agreed to conduct the mission there was no specific plan in place, however, the detainee knew that his bayat and obligation he would be called upon at a later time to conduct a martyr mission. :#The detainee said his decision to agree to conduct a mission stemmed from three basic fatwas. First was a fatwa in which he felt obliged to participate in jihad in Afghanistan. Second was a fatwa in which he felt obligated to swear bayat to Usama bin Laden. And third was a fatwa in which the detainee felt obligated to do whatever Usama bin Laden asked of him, including conducting a martyr mission, because he had sworn bayat to Usama bin Laden. :#The detainee was instructed by a senior al Qaida official to obtain British and United States visas. The detainee was then provided airline tickets from Dubai to London to Orlando by his facilitator. :#The detainee traveled to Orlando, Florida on 4 August 2001. He was unable answer questions at airport customs and did not have a return ticket. After being denied entry into the United States, he returned to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He applied for a second United States visa, and after it was denied he traveled to Afghanistan. :#The detainee answered affirmatively when asked whether he would have completed whatever mission he was assigned when going to the United States. :b. Training :#The detainee stated that after the completion of his basic training at al Farouq, he attended a city tactics course in Kandahar, Afghanistan, which lasted approximately one and a half months. :#The detainee attended al Farouq training for a total of five to six months. His initial training lasted approximately two to three months and consisted of indoctrination, small arms ( , handguns, grenades), and physical training. His advanced training also lasted approximately two to three months and consisted of small unit tactics and specialized weapons training. :c. Connections/Associations :#The detainee identified two senior al Qaida members. He admitted to knowing these two individuals and meeting them in a safe house in Kandahar, Afghanistan prior to 11 September 2001. :#The detainee met personally with Usama bin Laden on four different occasions. :#In February 2001 the detainee traveled from the Arab guesthouse in Kandahar, Afghanistan to Usama bin Laden's house in Kandahar, Afghanistan to give his allegiance to Usama bin Laden. :#In April 2001, after graduating from advanced training, the detainee visited Usama bin Laden at his house to honor and praise him. The detainee told Usama bin Laden that he would continue to serve him as he would the prophet Mohammad. During this visit, Usama bin Laden instructed the detainee to contact a senior al Qaida official for instructions on how to serve his religion. :#In June 2001, on his own initiative, the detainee met with Usama bin Laden again at Usama bin Laden's house in Kandahar, Afghanistan to greet him and to tell him he was ready for his mission to the United States. Usama bin Laden called a senior al Qaida official and advised him that the detainee had returned from the front line and was ready to complete his mission to America. :#In August 2001 the detainee met Usama bin Laden again at Usama bin Laden's house in Kandahar after the detainee returned from his failed mission to the United States. :#When the detainee returned to Afghanistan after his failed mission to America, he saw a known suicide bomber at different guesthouses on two separated occasions. :#The detainee was detained while trying to cross into Pakistan from Afghanistan on 15 December 2001 with 30 suspected al Qaida members. }} Primary factors in favor of release or transfer There is no record that al Qahtani participated in his first annual Administrative Review Board hearing. Second annual Administrative Review Board hearing He did attend his second annual Administrative Review Board hearing. | author=OARDEC | date=October 2006 | accessdate=2007-11-10 }} Enemy Combatant election form Mohammed al Qahtani's Assisting Military Officer report that they met for a pre-hearing interviews on October 12, 2006 and October 13, 2006. His Assisting Military Officer described him as "cooperative and attentive". Primary factors in favor of continued detention to Usama bin Laden. The detainee stated he did this in person with Usama bin Laden, without any witnesses, while at Usama bin Laden's residence in Kandahar, Afghanistan. :#The detainee stated that sometime in the summer of 2001, after he swore bayat to Usama bin Laden, the detainee was approached and asked to conduct a martyr mission for Usama bin Laden. :#The detainee was instructed by a senior al Qaida operative to obtain British and United States visas. The detainee was then provided airline tickets from , United Arab Emirates through to . :#The detainee stated that at the time he agreed to conduct the mission there was no specific plan in place. However the detainee knew that per his bayat and obligation, he would be called upon at a later time to conduct a martyr mission. :#The detainee stated he traveled to Orlando, Florida, on 4 August 2001. The detainee was unable to answer questions at airport customs and did not have a return ticket. After being denied entry into the United States, the detainee returned to Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The detainee applied for a second United States visa and after it was denied, he traveled to Afghanistan. :#The detainee stated his decision for agreeing to conduct a mission stemmed from three basic fatwas. First was a fatwa in which the detainee felt obligated to participate in jihad in Afghanistan. Second was a fatwain which the detainee felt obligated to swear bayat to Usama bin Laden. The third was a fatwa in which the detainee felt obligated to do whatever Usama bin Laden asked of him; including conducting a martyr mission, because he had given bayat to Usama bin Laden. :#When asked whether he would have completed whatever mission he was assigned when going to the United States, the detainee nodded head indicating he would. :b. Training :#The detainee stated after the completion of his basic training at al Farouq, he attended a city tactic course in Kandahar, Afghanistan, which lasted approximately one and a half months. :#The detainee attended al Farouq Training Camps for a total of five to six months; initial training lasted approximately two to three months and consisted of indoctrination, small arms (AK, handguns, grenades) and physical training. The second advanced segment of training also lasted approximately two to three months and consisted of small unit tactics and specialized weapons training. :c. Connections/Associations :#The detainee identified two senior al Qaida members. The detainee admitted to knowing these two individuals and meeting them in a safe house in Kandahar, Afghanistan prior to 11 September 2001. :#The detainee stated that on approximately 12 February 2001, he traveled from the Arab guest house in Kandahar, Afghanistan to Usama bin Laden's house in Kandahar, Afghanistan to give his allegiance to Usama bin Laden. :#The detainee stated that on approximately 24 April 2001, after graduating from advanced, he visited Usama bin Laden at his house to honor and praise him. The detainee told Usama bin Laden that he would continue to serve him as he would the prophet Mohammed. During this visit, Usama bin Laden instructed the detainee to contact a senior al Qaida official for instructions on how to serve his religion. :#The detainee stated that on approximately June 22, 2001, on his own initiative, he met with Usama bin Laden again at Usama bin Laden's house in Kandahar, Afghanistan to greet him and to tell him that he was ready for his mission to the United States. Usama bin Laden called a senior al Qaida operative and advised him that the detainee had returned from the front line and was ready to complete his mission to America. :#The detainee stated that on approximately 27 August 2001, he met Usama bin Laden again at Usama bin Laden's house in Kandahar, Afghanistan after the detainee returned from his failed mission to the United States. :#The detainee was detained while trying to cross into Pakistan from Afghanistan on 15 December 2001 with thirty suspected al Qaida members. :#The detainee stated that when he returned to Afghanistan after his failed mission to America he saw a known suicide bomber at different guest houses on separate occasions. }} Primary factors in favor of release or transfer Third annual Administrative Review Board hearing A four page Summary of Evidence memo was prepared on January 17, 2008 for Al Qahtani's third annual review. | accessdate=2009-06-08 }} Charged before a military commission | author= | date=2007-09-06 | accessdate=2008-10-05 | quote= }} mirror ]] The New York Times reported on February 9, 2008 that the Office of Military Commissions was close to laying charges against six of the more high value detainees, including Al Qahtani. He was charged on February 11, 2008 with war crimes and murder, and faced the death penalty if convicted. Gitanjali Gutierrez, an attorney with the (CCR), will be representing al Qahtani against the war crime and murder charges. Attorneys at CCR denounce the systematic use of torture as well as challenge the validity of the military commission and the use of evidence obtained via torture in his death penalty case. In a recent press release, CCR claimed that “the military commissions at Guantanamo allow secret evidence, hearsay evidence, and evidence obtained through torture. They are unlawful, unconstitutional, and a perversion of justice.” Charges dropped On May 11, 2008 the charges against Mohamed were dropped. Commander Jeffrey Gordon, a Pentagon spokesman, told reporters that it was possible for the charges to be re-instated, at a later date, because they had been dropped "without prejudice". The reasons for the dismissal were not made public. New charges announced On November 18, 2008, Chief Prosecutor Lawrence Morris announced that he was filing new charges against al Qahtani. mirror When announcing the new charges Morris stated that the new charges were based on “independent and reliable evidence”. He stated: : Crawford orders charges dropped due to torture Susan Crawford, the senior official in charge of the Office of Military Commissions has the final authority over whether charges were laid. On January 14, 2009 Crawford ruled that charges could not be laid against Al Qahtani because the interrogation techniques he was subjected to in Guantanamo rose to the level of torture. Bryan Whitman, a DoD spokesman, claimed the techniques were legal, at the time they were applied. al Qahtani's habeas case reinstated Mr. al Qahtani's habeas corpus case was reinstated in July 2008 after the Supreme Court ruled on Boumediene v. Bush and Al Odah v. United States, stating that Guantanamo detainees have a constitutional right to habeas corpus. Timeline See also *''Torturing Democracy'' References External links *Detainee 063: serialized interrogation and torture log of Mohamed al Qahtani December 9, 2009 *The "Ethical Interrogation": The Myth of Michael Gelles and the al Qahtani Interrogation December 7, 2009 *The Final 9/11 Commission Report PDF, July 17, 2005 *The Final 9/11 Commission Report HTML, July 17, 2005 *Bill Dedman, Can the ‘20th hijacker’ of Sept. 11 stand trial? Aggressive interrogation at Guantanamo may prevent his prosecution HTML, October 24, 2006 *Information from the Partnership for Public Service, 2005 *"Search began with a stubborn detainee", USA Today, June 22, 2004 *[http://www.fas.org/irp/news/2005/06/dod061205.html Guantanamo Provides Valuable Intelligence Information] Department of Defense Press Release, June 12, 2005 - Description of Qahtani's interrogation at Guantanamo Bay *Interview with Adam Zagorin about Al Qathani's interrogation log, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, June 13, 2005 *Allegations of Abuse, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, July 13, 2005 - interview with Senator John Warner and General Bantz Craddock and General Randall Schmidt. *Pentagon charges 6 in 9-11 attacks *'Clean team' interrogated 9-11 suspects *Human Rights First; Tortured Justice: Using Coerced Evidence to Prosecute Terrorist Suspects (2008) *Human Rights First; Undue Process: An Examination of Detention and Trials of Bagram Detainees in Afghanistan in April 2009 (2009) Category:People held at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp Category:People associated with the September 11 attacks Category:People